Death's Seal
by Spark of Fate
Summary: What if not 1, but 2 souls were sacrificed to seal both halves of the Kyūbi away? What would happen if the Reaper used his own seal? What would that change for Naruto? Set in a darker, more mature universe of Naruto, where not everything is fair. Multiple pairings. Rated M for Mature context. Ch. 01, 02, & 03 updated 12OCT2017. I'm alive. Working on Ch. 04 right now (10AUG2018)
1. Chapter 01: Parents' Sacrifice

**Death's Seal**

Fanficition by Spark of Fate

* * *

 **Important Information**

\- I do not own Naruto. -

\- I will do my best to keep as lore-friendly as possible -

\- I've kept up with the manga. I haven't read Boruto. -

\- This is a darker version of the Naruto series, with my own twists. -

\- R&R is welcomed. I am not perfect, so please catch the mistakes I don't catch -

\- Rating will be T for now. May change to M for various reasons later on -

\- Chapter posted 26APR2017 -

\- Last updated 12OCT2017 -

* * *

 **My Lingo**

Here is a brief list of how I type in the story. Most of it will be common, but even so, everyone do tell stories in different ways.

Descriptions and the sort.

"Regular conversation."

"A _whispering or slight emphasis_ on a word in a conversation."

"A **word with strong emphasis or emotion** in a conversation."

 _'A normal thought.'_

 _'An_ _ **emphasis on a word**_ _in thought.'_

 _ **"Bijū or of the sort speaking."**_

 _ **'Bijū**_ **or of the sort thinking.'**

*A sound effect or action of some sort.*

 ***Bijū's sound effect or action of some effect.***

 **Title**.

 **Section.**

Names of reviewers and titles of stories.

[Note from author. Rarely will be used.]

「Time Skip and Date」

* * *

 **Author's Announcement**

My intentions for this series is to be a darker, more mature take on Naruto, with some of my own twists. Things will get pretty brutal. As for the relationships, Naruto will have a few. It won't be a one and done kind of thing. Most things don't work like that in the real world.

At the same time, I don't _plan_ on Naruto having a harem. I don't know. It's gonna be awhile until anything happens romantically. I'm starting off with the Kyūbi, Kurama, attacking the village and Naruto's birth. I'm changing some things here, but for the most part, it's the same.

I'll stick to Romanji, for proper spelling, but I'm still stuck on whether or not the jutsus should be called out by their Japanese names or by their English names. English would be easiest to go with. It would be easiest for the readers, so I'll likely stick with that. Let me know in the reviews how you feel.

This is going to be a long series. A very long series.

* * *

 **Chapter #01**

 **Parents' Sacrifice**

「October 10th, Outside the walls of Konoha」

A mighty roar was released across the village. A giant orange fox howled to the moon in anger as its 9 tails swayed ominously behind it, causing death, destruction, and mayhem around it. If the villagers dared to look at it's eyes earlier, they might've noticed the eyes looked eerily similar to that of a certain Dōjutsu that was coveted across the lands.

Alas, it was no longer there. Its fury that was being displayed was no longer that of someone else's machination, but its own. Eyes as red as blood. Pupils slitted like a feral animal. The malice was nearly palpable. Countless ninja bodies were strewn across the battlefield, many whole and just as many in pieces.

"We have to hold it off as best as we can!" The Sandaime Hokage yelled as he readied against the demon. He knew that him alone would not be enough to fend off the Kyūbi, but he would be damned it he didn't try his best. He had to hold it off until his successor arrived. Surely there was something he could do. Such a brilliant child Minato was.

Alone in the distance, a shinobi stood. With his signature three-pronged kunai, the blond ninja mind drifted for only a moment as he stared at the Kyūbi in the eyes, recalling events that have just transpired as the fighting continued below him.

His wife had just given birth when an unknown Uchiha had come in and kidnapped their son. He quickly retrieved his son from the masked man and was forced to teleport away to removed the paper bomb tags, then he teleported away again to place his son in his own personal shelter, to keep his son from further harm.

He felt sick. He left his wife with that masked man, for only a moment, but he still left her, all to save their son. He knew it was the right call. The paper bombs going off there would have killed all of them. He still didn't like it.

Sadly, it seemed that small moment of time was all that was needed for the demon to be released upon Konoha. After a fierce fight, he was able to remove his control over the Kyūbi and forced the assailant to retreat. Luckily he was able to teleport his wife to the safe house before the fight.

Only a moment passed, but the demon was readying itself for an attack. It had tried to escape as soon as the influence was released. It clearly wanted its freedom, but Konoha wouldn't let it have it without a fight. So it determined to fight, rather than flee.

 _ **'Foolish mortals. I know not what transpired exactly since that Uchiha appeared, but I'm finally freed from that awful imprisonment and I will have my freedom. I refuse to let myself be a tool any further, and not a single one of you vile mortals can stop me! I WILL HAVE MY FREEDOM ONCE AGAIN!'**_

Once again, the mightiest of demons roared to the moon, as if calling it down. Not like the moon would fall from roar, but it most certainly did strike terror into the hearts of all before it.

The Yondaime Hokage, The Fourth Shadow, Minato Namikaze, made a motion with his kunai, cutting his palm. "I appologize Kyūbi, but I can not allow you to roam free." He started to form the necessary handsigns. Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, Ram. He molded his chakra, but before being able to execute the summoning technique, a giant cloud appeared immediately above the Nine-Tailed fox demon.

"GAMABUNTA! PIN HIM DOWN!" Bellowed a proud voice. A toad of unimaginable proportions felled from smoke, landing on the equally sized fox.

 **"DAMMIT JIRAIYA! WHY DID YOU SUMMON-... ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME! YOU FUCKING IDIOT! YOU SUMMONED ME TO FIGHT THE FUCKING KYŪBI! ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?!"**

Minato would've been laughing, if the situation. It was always entertaining to see Jiraiya get chewed out by the boss of the toads. Sadly, with what was happening right now, it was no laughing matter. Minato instead re-absorbed the chakra he was about to use for summon the toad that his Sensei just did.

' _I have to remember to treat him to some sake as thanks. That would've cost me a lot of chakra.'_ Minato started to mold a new amount of chakra for his next technique.

"Dammit Gamabunta! We need your help right now, not your bitching. The village is being attacked and we need some muscle!" Jiraiya fired back at his summon.

The Kyūbi growled underneath the giant toad. **"I swear I'm going to devour you for stepping on me, you pathetic toad."** Immediately, the fox started gathering chakra, preparing for one of its signature Bijū Bombs.

With a grunt, Gamabunta pinned the fox down even further. **"I would love to see you try, you overgrown fox."** Gamabunta started to struggle with the demon beneath him, but still able to keep him in place. _**'Actually, I hope it doesn't get the chance to try. I rather not get eaten by this damned demon.'**_

"Gamabunta!" Minato called out to the summon. "Just hold the Kyūbi still a little bit longer. I'll teleport it away and seal it away."

" _ **Got it! Now quit squirming, you damn fox!"**_ Gamabunta bellowed out. Suddenly, the mass before him disappeared. With an amphibious croak, Gamabunta yelped at the fox disappearing and gravity instantly pulling him closer to the ground.

Dust kicked up around Gamabunta as Jiraiya surveyed the area from ontop of the toad's head, searching for where the demon was teleported to. He would be damned if he let his apprentice seal that fox away without him there to help. Besides. How hard can it be to spot a giant orange fox.

The Legendary Toad Sage spotted the fox in a few seconds and directed his summon towards it. "There it is Gamabunta! We have to hurry over there and help out Minato!"

 **"Are you really trying to kill me?! Do I have to go fight that freaking demon. You know I would lose in a fight against that thing. He said he was going to seal it. He should be able to handle it from here."** Gamabunta grunted out, but already knowing what the answer was going to be, so he began to lower his body for a mighty leap.

Jiraiya smirked. He knew that the Boss Toad was scared of the Nine-Tailed demon. The greatest of all demons. He couldn't blame him. You would have to be absolutely stupid to not be afraid of that demon. Of any demon. But he knew where his loyalty laid. "Yes Gamabunta. We do have to fight that demon. Now _hop_ to it!" Jiraiya smirk grew larger has he heard a groan in response to his lame pun right before the giant toad lept.

Even if the situation was deadly serious, who said you can't crack a joke or two?

In the background was the Sandaime Hokage, The Third, following the leaps of the Toad. _'I retire from being Hokage and this happens... '_ Hiruzen let out a heavy sigh as he ran to the next battlefield. _'I'm getting too old for this, but it won't stop me from helping where I can.'_

Through the trees, The Third, and his trusty summon, went, seeking to help his successor as much as he could.

* * *

「October 10th, Far outside of Konoha, "The Safe-House"」

Minato let out a breath as he and the Kyūbi appeared as far away from Konoha he could manage. He noticed just in time that the Bijū Bomb was ready and teleported away to his shelter. Luckily the fox was facing away from the safe house, making the explosion go off at a safe distance from the shelter.

Minato warped inside the room and looked at his wife and child. He was torn at the sight of his beloved wife. Worn and torn, he was hovering over her son, being as gentle as possible, disregarding the blood she was coughing up. She wanted to make sure her poor Naruto was as safe as possible.

In all likelihood, she should've died when the Kyūbi was extracted from her. What a painful process that was. She felt her bones creak and her muscles scream as her organs bled. But she knew she was going to die. She only survived this long, all thanks to the Uzumaki blood.

This was the worst she ever felt in her life, but she ignored everything else and focused on her son. She didn't care about the demon. The only thing important to her was in front of her, and she would do everything to keep him safe.

"Kushina…" Minato whispered out, sadden at the sight. He knew what had to be done.

Kushina turned around at the sound of her name by the voice she held dear. She saw her husband's face and dashed to him. Hugging him. Crying at the situation. She saw that look in his eyes. She knew what it meant. She knew what he was thinking.

Minato grabbed his wife and his son. "We have to go." And the three left in a flash of yellow.

* * *

「October 10th, Far outside of Konoha, "The Sealing Grounds"」

The Namikaze family appeared near the demon as it was walking towards the village. Vengeance on its mind, ready to burn the village that had attacked it.

"Put up a barrier."

"My chakra is almost drained, so it won't hold long." Chakra chains flowed out of her back as blood flowed from her mouth. The Adamantine Sealing Chains wrapped around the Kyūbi and creating a barrier, enclosing just the 4 of them inside. Separating them from outside influences.

"Minato…" Kushina called out quietly. "I'll drag the demon back inside me."

"You can't do that. You'll die if you seal the Kyūbi inside you as you are now!"

"At least that will keep it from coming back for a while… It;s the most I can do to keep the both of you alive…" Kushina shuddered as she began tightening the chains even more around the demon, dragging it closer to her. "Thank you… For everything…"

"I can't let you do that! _You_ made me your husband. _You_ made me the Yondaime. _You_ made me this boy's father."

"Minato. I'm happy that you loved me. I'm happy that today is our son's birthday. If I had one regret, it would be that I couldn't see him grow up. I'm already dying, so please let me do this."

"You don't have to. We can use the last of our chakra to see Naruto one more time."

Kushina looked shocked, afraid of what her husband was implying. "...What are you saying Minato."

"I'll use the Reaper's Death Seal so seal the Kyūbi inside of Naruto. Then I'll seal a portion of us inside with him the Eight Trigrams Seal."

"Why Minato?! I don't want our son to be a Jinchūriki. I don't want him to be an orphan! I don't want him to go through what I've gone though, so please… Let me do this."

"I can't. The man who attacked us tonight. The man who orchestrated this whole thing. He will be back, and he will bring disaster to the world. I know Naruto will be the one to save the world from him…"

"But-"

"We have to. We can't upset the balance of Jinchūriki between villages. If Konoha doesn't have a Jinchūriki, they will be wiped out. Our village will be gone."

With a thunderous sound, Gamabunta and Jiraiya arrived, with the Sandaime closely following behind.

"Minato!" Both Jiraiya and The Sandaime cried out at the same time."

The Third pressed his hand firmly against the tangible barrier, prodding it lightly.

"Dammit Minato, Kushina. Open up this barrier and let me in. I can help!"

"Sorry Jiraiya… I can't. I would have to undo it completely to let anyone in, and if I did that, the Kyūbi will be set free again." Kushina strained her response, as the chains made more eerily noises as it tightened around the Kyūbi again, bring it closer to her.

"Dammit Minato. Why did you have to teleport so freaking far away. I couldn't catch up to you guys in time!"

The Sandaime observed his successors actions. Trying to figure out the situation. He could tell that Kushina was on Death's doorstep at just a glance. She was using the last of her strength to keep the demon at bay as Minato began performing some handsigns.

Suddenly a ceremonial throne was summoned before Minato and Naruto was laid upon it. _'Go ahead and hate me, Kyūbi. But to maintain the balance between the nations, we have to seal you away again.'_

Snake, Boar, Ram, Rabbit, Dog, Rat, Bird, Horse, Snake. Minator performed the handsigns perfectly and clapped his hands together. The temperature dropped at an alarming rate as the Shinigami himself arrived, visible only to those who summoned him, and other demons.

The Sandaime's blood ran cold as he recognized those handsigns. _'He couldn't… No. He definitely is. He plans to call the Shinigami himself here to seal away the demon… I guess even the most forbidden of techniques must be used to hold back the most powerful of demons.'_

Jiraiya had a chill run down his spine. He wasn't familiar with what seal Minato was doing, never able to learn all of the Uzumaki's seals, but his teacher, The Sandaime certainly knew what was up. Something felt wrong with the world. It was almost as if he was suffocating, despite nothing being around his throat.

"Sealing Jutsu: Reaper's Death Seal." Minato clearly announced his technique almost silently.

' _Reaper's Death Seal… No. The seal that even Kushina wouldn't let me see. No!'_ "NO! What are you doing you IDIOT! Cancel that shit right now! You trying to kill yourself!"

"He can't cancel it Jiraiya." The Sandaime replied in a controlled voice. "The Reaper has already been summoned. His life is already forfeited."

Jiraiya started furiously bashing on the barrier, trying his hardest to get in there. "Dammit Minato! You fucking IDIOT! What are you thinking!" Tears started streaming down his face uncontrollably. He already knew what was going to happen. He recalled everything Kushina told him about the seal.

The Sandaime lowered his head and let out a heavy sigh. His successor was going to die. Just as he became a father.

"Shinigami. I offer my soul to you as payment. Seal the Kyūbi within my son."

" **You think a single human soul is equal to that of a demon?"** The Kyūbi snidely remarked. **"Not all souls are equal you vile human. You'll be lucky if you can get half of me for a human soul!"**

Minato paled a little as he stared at the Shinigami. Without saying a single word, the Shinigami simply shook his head. Stating that one soul was not enough to seal the demon away. "D-Dammit…" Minato frowned. He wasn't expecting this. He thought that all souls were equal to the Shinigami. Guess life just wasn't that fair.

 **"I told you mortal. Your pathetic soul isn't close to being worth-WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING! YOU DARE-"**

A resounding clap was heard as a certain red haired kunoichi finished her jutsu. "I do dare, you monster. Shinigami!" Kushina roared at the Reaper himself, as she could see its daunting figure. "I too offer my soul to seal this demon away in my son!"

"Kushina!" Minato stared at his wife in disbelief. "Why?"

"Because I'm already dying Minato. You know this. At least with this, I can still be with you, trapped within the Shinigami forever." A tear fell down her face as she coughed up. Kushina looked to the Reaper one last time. "Please…"

The Shinigami gave a single response. A simple nod.

 **"SHINIGAMI! YOU… YOU FUCKING TRAITOR! YOU DARE ATTEMPT TO GO AGAINST ME?! YOU, WHO CONTROL LIFE AND DEATH, DARE TO GO AGAINST THAT WHICH IS IMMORTAL?! I'LL RIP YOU TO SHRED-"** That was all the Kyūbi could get out before the chains around him tightened even further, silencing his demonic howling.

Kushina knew that it didn't matter any more. No reason to prolong it. She started using all of her remaining strength to keep the demon at bay. The Shinigami reached through both parents and grabbed a firm grasp of the demon. Slowly, the Shinigami ripped the demon's soul in half, pulling each half to and through each parent. A third ghastly arm touched the newborn baby before him, creating a pair of seals never before seen. Once the sealing circuits was complete, both halves of the Kyūbi was sealed within the child.

At last, the Nine-Tailed demon was sealed once again. Minato summoned forth a toad that had the shape of a scroll.

"Gamatora… Here are the keys to my son's seals." Minato mumbled as he pressed his hand on the scroll, imprinting the design of the seal the Shinigami used on his son. "I entrust it to you. Make sure it gets to Jiraiya."

"G-Got it!"Gamatora, the scroll toad, was stunned, but accepted the seals' keyes and disappeared just as he appeared.

Both parents grieved over what they have done. They knew what was in store for their child, so they each left a message.

"Naruto… Please eat your veggies. And go to bed early. And make friends. Real friends. Ones that will be by your side. And be sure to study. Take baths. Pay attention in class. Don't be be disappointed if you can't do everything. Find what you are good at and become better at it. And when you find a girl… Make sure she loves you for who you are… Just like Mommy does."

Uncontrollable tears started to flow from Kushina. "Find a goal and don't stop until you achieve it. There's so much more I want to say. So much more I want to do. Just know, that Mommy loves you."

"I'm sorry son. It seems like your mother already said almost everything. Just promise me one thing. Please listen to her." Minato glanced to his predecessor and mentor. "Sorry Sandaime. It seems like you'll have to be in charge again. Please. Both of you. Look after our son..."

The Shinigami grabbed the knife from his mouth and licked his lips. Soon, very soon, he would consume 2 souls for the price of sealing 1.

With his last breath, the Yondaime used his last jutsu just before the Shinigami cut loose their souls from the mortal realm. "Eight Trigrams Seal!"

Forever, a piece of them will stay with their beloved son.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

To those who read the whole chapter, thank you. I'm sorry that this turned out to be a shorter chapter than expected. Not much to really here, just some key changes. I never expected it to be long in the first place, since it's almost a recap. I didn't want to drag you through 10k+ words of what is essentially a recap of events that most people know with small changes. The next chapter is going to be over the childhood. This is where things will be brutal, in my opinion at least.

I've been meaning to start this story off for a long time. A very long time. Life has just been too busy, being in the Navy and all. The next couple of years is looking like a lot of down time, so I plan on doing this frequently. An update every week or less is the pace I plan to go at. We'll see. I'm only in the States for a month before I'm off to Japan again for another 2 years, so it might be a bit hectic at first. I apologize in advance for any delays.

But seriously, I mean it this time. Might even release Chapter 09 of the other story I started 3 freaking years ago… I'll have to go through the other chapters and fix anything I cringe at though… Perspectives changes a lot over 3 years...

Back to this story… I really wanted to do a story where Naruto has the whole Kyūbi sealed within him. But if you paid attention, you would've realised that the Kyūbi isn't whole. The demon was split in half and was sealed separately. I plan on this being a major point later.

But yeah, as for romance, which is always a big thing for me, that won't be happening much as a kid. Just doesn't make any sense. I'll try to build some stuff up between people as they grow up, but yeah. Romance is for more when they are teens and older. I do want this to be more action/romance, so we'll see how it goes. I have a mild idea as to what direction to take this story. I hope you'll enjoy.

* * *

 **Replies to Chapter 01 Reviews**

 **rperodin:** 1\. Gotcha. I'll try not to be too long with them. 2. Got it. Complete the story first. 3. Understand your concern, but I'll be very vague about my location. Won't ever be specific as to where I'm at.

 **Gravity The Wizard:** I'm happy you find it as an interesting start.

 **Meck Viking:** I'm happy you like the opening for this chapter. I look forward to your continued reading.

 **Mystolon:** I'm happy you think this has a promising start. As for your concern, no, the Kyuubi is not an actual demon. Most people, if not all, don't know what the Tailed Beasts truly are. Their beginnings shrouded in mystery. The humans haven't been nice to them, and they haven't been nice in return, hence why the humans call them demons.

They certainly aren't human. They aren't normal animals either. Beasts with such power can, in the human mind at least, can only be described as demons. I won't say that there isn't actual demons, or that there is. Its just what the humans call them, and what they believe them to be.

 **insanemaelstorm:** I'm happy you like how Crazywizard73: Minato and Kushina were portrayed. I wanted to give a little insight on them. Just a little. I'm not terribly good at these sorts of things though. As for the 2 different seals, you'll find out. Eventually. I don't see it being too long though.

 **Langas:** I hope I didn't make you wait too long for this chapter. I've been travelling, so this wasn't started nearly as soon as I wanted.

 **Crazywizard73:** I hope this story will be long too! I have thoughts for a complete retelling of the series. Hopefully without the 2.5 year time skip. I want to flesh that out too.

 **SaltyCandy:** I'm happy you love how its written. I personally don't think its that good, but I'll try my best to improve and make it better!

 **Dante3142:** I'm happy you like the idea for the fanfic. Sorry it took so long to get this chapter uploaded.

 **Gundam Meister Uzumaki:** ... Have you been reading my mind? Seriously... Welp, so much for that being a unique idea (I don't think I ever read any Naruto/Kurostuchi fanfics. I'm sure they exist, just never read any). But yeah, I have something in mind for the 2. But it won't be for a long time. Not sure if she will be included in the end. I want this to live and take its own form, rather than try to conform it to a strict mold, you know. Just a general thought and flow towards it.

* * *

 **Edits**

 **12OCT2017:** Minor typo corrected. Added in a little extra dialogue. Nothing major.

 **28MAY2017:** Added in a reply to a review on Chapter 01. Nothing much else.

 **11MAY2017:** Some corrections to spelling and grammatical errors have been made. I doubt I have found them all. Another reply to a review on Chapter 01 have been added.

 **10MAY2017:** Replies to Chapter 01 reviews have been added. I know there are some grammatical errors somewhere, but I haven't found them again. Still working on Chapter 02. Should be done soon, I hope.

* * *

\- Chapter 01 -

\- COMPLETE -


	2. Chapter 02: The Seal

**Death's Seal**

Fanficition by Spark of Fate

* * *

 **Important Information**

\- I do not own Naruto. -

\- I will do my best to keep as lore-friendly as possible -

\- I've kept up with the manga. I haven't read Boruto. -

\- This is a darker version of the Naruto series, with my own twists. -

\- R&R is welcomed. I am not perfect, so please catch the mistakes I don't catch -

\- Rating will be T for now. May change to M for various reasons later on -

\- Chapter posted 12MAY2017 -

\- Last updated 12OCT2017 -

* * *

 **My Lingo**

Here is a brief list of how I type in the story. Most of it will be common, but even so, everyone do tell stories in different ways.

Descriptions and the sort.

"Regular conversation."

"A _whispering or slight emphasis_ on a word in a conversation."

"A **word with strong emphasis or emotion** in a conversation."

 _'A normal thought.'_

 _'An_ _ **emphasis on a word**_ _in thought.'_

 _ **"Bijū or of the sort speaking."**_

 _ **'Bijū**_ **or of the sort thinking.'**

*A sound effect or action of some sort.*

 ***Bijū's sound effect or action of some effect.***

 **Title**.

 **Section.**

Names of reviewers and titles of stories.

[Note from author. Rarely will be used.]

「Time Skip and Date」

* * *

 **Author's Announcement**

First thing first. If you left a reply on a chapter, go to that chapter and scroll to the bottom. I leave replies to reviews on the chapter it was submitted on. In simpler terms; If you leave a review on Chapter 01, your reply will be on Chapter 01. If you leave a review on Chapter 02. Your reply will be on Chapter 02.

Secondly, I apologize for the delay in finishing this chapter. Honestly, I was travelling and visiting my best friend and felt my time was better spent hanging out with him. I won't see him, or any of my other friends and family, for at least 2 years, so yeah. Priorities.

If you didn't know, I'm in the Navy. So life have been very hectic for me the past several years. The past 2 weeks, and the next 2 weeks (subject to change depending on when this chapter is released) is my leave period. Spent seeing all my family and friends before I go to Japan for another 2 years.

Thankfully, I'll be at a shore command, unlike before, so my life will not be nearly as hectic. Any how, back to the topic. Sorry for getting a late start and late release on this chapter. Life. It happens. I hope you all enjoy.

Also, if you find any grammatical errors, please let me know.

On the final note. Sorry. I lied. This isn't going to cover his childhood. There was more information that I wanted to be fleshed out before we got to the childhood. I hope everyone finds this chapter to their liking. Please enjoy.

* * *

 **Previous Chapter**

The Shinigami grabbed the knife from his mouth and licked his lips. Soon, very soon, he would consume 2 souls for the price of 1.

With his last breath, the Yondaime used his last jutsu just before the Shinigami cut loose their souls from the mortal realm. "Eight Trigrams Seal!"

Forever, a piece of them will stay with their beloved son.

* * *

 **Chapter 02**

 **The Seal**

「October 10th, Far outside of Konoha, "The Sealing Grounds"」

Jiraiya fiercely pounded against the barrier Kushina placed up, knowing it was futile. "Dammit Minato! You fucking IDIOT! What are you thinking!" Tears started streaming down his face. He already knew what was going to happen.

To his side, the previous Hokage, or the now current Hokage released a heavy sigh. He knew he would have to be Hokage again. Minato was going to die, just as he was starting family. Coupled with the lost of his wife, his beloved Biwako, he knew today was one of the worse days of his life, if not the worst.

Hard to decide between the treason of his disciple, the falling out with his son, and the death of his successor and wife. If he had to, today would likely be ranked first.

His eyes sharpened as he heard the howl of the Nine Tailed demon thrashing about, cursing away at the invisible Reaper, the Shinigami. He took notice of the stance that Kushina was now in. As she was calling out to the Death God unseen by everyone but those in the barrier.

' _No. Not her too. I knew that Kushina would likely still die from having the demon extracted, but to still offer her soul to be consumed by the Shinigami…'_ Hiruzen's eyes teared up once again at the action of the 2 ninjas before him. _'Even at the end of your life, you still perform your duties to your village. Cursing one's child to the life of a Jinchuriki is no easy decision. Especially since Kushina was one herself.'_

The Kyūbi roared out against the God who controlled Life and Death. Cursing at it. _'Despite being immortal, the_ _Ky_ _ūbi is still bound by the whims of the deities it seems. Even so, those whims seem to have a heavy cost. Even to the Shinigami, not all souls are equal.'_

Suddenly a toad appeared next to Jiraiya, speaking, or would it be croaking, at the Toad Sage.

"-nato gave me the keys to seals."

"..." Jiraiya stood there not bothering to turn his head, refusing to not see the last moments of the man he thought of as his own son. "Thank you Gamatora, but not right now. I'll summon you later." With that, the scroll toad was banished rather abruptly.

Hiruzen raised his hand and placed it on the arm of his student. He felt a powerful flex from Jiraiya, but his arm did not move. "I understand your anger, but it's best not to take this anger out on your summons."

"He's right." Enma spoke solemnly as he morphed to his monkey form. "The bond between the summoner and summons can be strong, but also fragile. But I'm certain a Sage already knows this."

Jiraiya gripped his fists even tighter, knowing he was a little more than just rude to Gamatora. He knew he would have to apologize, but still… Of course he would be upset! His pseudo-son was about to die in front of him, and he, one of the _Legendary Sannin_ couldn't do shit about it. Some fucking power he had, if he couldn't even stop his own surrogate son from dying.

Silent tears flowed down Jiraiya's face as he saw Minato perform his last jutsu. Both Minato and Kushina's body dropped lifelessly to the ground and the barrier dropped. As soon as it was possible, Jiraiya and Hiruzen dashed forward.

It was rushed, but Jiraiya hastily sealed away both Minato and Kushina before picking up Naruto and sealing away the ceremonial throne. He tucked the scrolls on the inside of his green short skirt kimono, over his heart, before following Hiruzen back to the village at full speed.

* * *

「October 10th, Within Konohagakure, "Hokage Administrative Tower, Hokage's Office"」

The pair of large wooden doors were pushed open by a pair of ANBU as Hiruzen, Enma, and Jiraiya marched into the room, the latter carrying an infant born just minutes ago. Hiruzen waved a single handsign and a dozen ANBU Captains and the sole ANBU Commander flooded into the room before the wooden doors closed, securing the place from all possible outside sources.

Jiraiya set Naruto down gently on the desk, pulled out a tag from his red haori and threw it on the ground. He stomped his right wooden sandal on the tag twice before signing a single-handed Ram sign and shouting. "Seal!"

Several ANBU Captains jumped away from the sprawling chakra-infused ink characters flowing from the tag as they wiggled their way to all surfaces, coating it in a black ink before disappearing. The ANBU Commander stood front and centered, never moving an inch away from the crawling ink. Waiting to be addressed.

"Jiraiya, start inspecting the seal on young Naruto."

Jiraiya gave an affirmative nod before undoing the swaddle wrapped around the infant.

"ANBU Commander and Captains," Hiruzen spokely in a solemn voice. All members of the ANBU Black Ops immediately stood at attention. "I regret to inform you that the Yondaime has passed away minutes ago. As of this moment, I am your Hokage again."

The ANBU Captains gave a single nod in response. "Sandaime," The ANBU Commander was the only one to voice a reply. "If it's allowed, may I confirm?"

The temperature in the room dropped rapidly at the question. Hiruzen stared directly at the ANBU Commander with a steely gaze. _'Trust, but verify. That's why you are the ANBU Commander.'_

"Jiraiya."

Jiraiya gave a disapproval look to the ANBU Commander but still reluctantly handed over a single scroll to Hiruzen. "Here."

Hiruzen swiftly accepted the scroll from his student and unfurled it across the floor before releasing the seal. On the unfurled scroll laid one deceased Minato Namikaze. Almost inaudible gasps were heard from the ANBU Captains before the ANBU Commander kneeled, checking for any vitals on the still cooling corpse.

Jiraiya turned back to Naruto, not wanting to see his deceased surrogate son. He summoned Gamatora and muttering under his breath, he apologized to the scroll toad. "Sorry Gamatora. I shouldn't of dismissed you like that."

Hiruzen gave small smile at Jiraiya apologizing. Happy to hear that at least one of his students still listened to him.

"It's ok Jiraiya. I understand, so don't worry 'bout it. I already informed Ma and Pa. They should be any-"

2 clouds of smoke filled the room, setting the ANBU Captains on alert before revealing a pair of small elderly toads in it's wake.

"Jiraiya-chan. What happened to Minato-chan?" Shima asked in a weeping tone. "He didn't really die, did he?"

"Sorry Ma, but he did." Jiraiya pointed his thumb over his shoulder. "He's laying there on the floor."

Shima gasped at the the deceased toad summoner and hopped over to the body just as the ANBU Commander finished examining the body. He swiftly stood up and gave a nod to Hiruzen.

"Sorry Hokage-"

Hiruzen raised his hand, silencing the ANBU Commander. "Don't be. You are merely doing your job."

Fukasaku glanced at the infant before hopping on Hiruzen's right shoulder, staring at Minato's body.

"Hello Fukasaku. It's been a long time, hasn't it?" Hiruzen greeted the male sage toad.

"Yes it has. Now cut the shit." The temperature dropped frighteningly low. "What the hell happened to our summoner. We don't take kindly to our summoners being killed."

"I rather you weren't so hostile to _my_ summoner, Fukasaku…" Enma responded to the hostility emanating from the small toad with his own.

"Jiraiya hasn't told you yet?" Hiruzen questioned hoping to pacify the tension between the 2 summons. The last thing he wanted was a couple of toads killing a monkey. Despite how strong Enma was, he doubted he would be able to stand up to those two toads. That wouldn't be good for anyone.

"No." Fukasaku answered shortly before going into further explanation. "He clearly doesn't want to talk about it, so he's examining that seal on that infant. Or should I say seals…?" Fukasaku contorted his face as he remembered what he glanced at. "Either way, he referred me to you. So what happened."

"The Kyūbi broke free and attacked."

"Wasn't that damned fox sealed inside Kushina?"

"Yes, but we don't know who released it. Someone attacked while Kushina was giving birth, when the seal was at its weakest. Killed my wife, along with a few other ANBU, kidnapped Kushina, and released it. At least that's what I'm guessing."

"Most likely scenario." Enma added at the end.

"So the Kyūbi killed him?"

"Not quite, Fukasaku. He, and Kushina, offered their souls to the Shinigami to seal away the Kyūbi into their son."

"That explains the blond hair… So that little one really is Minato's tadpole… And that would explain that _seal_ on the tadpole."

Hiruzen gave a questioning gaze at the toad.

"I'll show you. Ma. Leave Minato for now. We still have to greet the newest member of our family." Fukasaku hopped off Hiruzen and landed next to Jiraiya.

Shima gave a look of disbelief before realizing what he said. She hopped over to the other side of Jiraiya. She would have more time to mourn later.

The ANBU Commander sealed away the Yondaime's body and rolled the scroll back up before handing it back to Hiruzen, who then walked over to Jiraiya.

"Do you have any info, Jiraiya?" Hiruzen asked, remembering what he tasked his student with as soon as they walked into the office.

"Some, but not much. This is… I don't know what it is…"

"What do you mean?" Hiruzen looked over at Naruto's infant form.

"Well," Jiraiya lightly pointed his finger at the seal that made the outer layer. "These 2 seals on Naruto, the ones that makes the top and bottom half of the outer shell are 2 Four Symbols Seals, hence the 4 points on the top, and the 4 points at the bottom."

Hiruzen nodded his head. He remember this was a sealing technique derived from the fūinjutsu of the Uzumaki clan.

Running his finger across the top and bottom, he explained the purpose of the outer shell. "I think this where where Minato stored a piece of his, and Kushina's, soul at, before the Shinigami devoured the rest. It's typically used to strengthen the inner seal."

"At the same time, there is a small opening where these 2 seals are suppose to meet to make up the Eight Trigrams Seal." Jiraiya pointed at the small gap on the sides of the seal. "I think this is to regulate a small amount of the Kyūbi's chakra out into Naruto's system, so that he can use it if he needs to."

"That's standard and all, but the seal in the middle is what's irregular."

Jiraiya thumbed at the swirls in the middle. There wasn't just 1, but 2 swirls, both spiraling in opposite directions, layered on top of each other.

"Normally, the seals are made up of characters; Katakana, Hiragana, and Kanji. I could extract and copy all the characters and replicate the seals that way. It's a long process, but it can be done. They are usually pulled together in a pattern and the characters themselves are layered on top of each other so you can't read it at a glance. That's why the Uzumakis were always good with their seals. They all looked the same, a spiral, but they were always different seals."

"But this inner seal, or seals, isn't even in our language. I extract a part of it, just to copy it, and it's not made in our language. Not only is it a foreign language, it breaks the a major rule of seals."

"And what's that Jiraiya?" Hiruzen asked. He has seen a lot of seals, but he wasn't well versed in the esoteric art like his student was.

"You _never_ layer seals on top of another. If you have to layer it, you layer it outward. It's one thing to layer the characters of 1 seal on top of each other. It's a completely different thing if you layer the characters of 2 different seals on top of each other. That causes a lot of feedback and attenuation in the seal's circuit. You have to create a shell if you're going to layer it. This minimizes the chance of the seals interfering with each other. These seals layered on top of each other though."

Jiraiya looked at it more closely, examining the squiggling characters as the flowed through the spirals. "Or I should say it _looks_ layered. It seems like the 2 seals are _interweaved_ with each other, making 2 seals seamlessly form 1 seal. Which I thought was impossible. Is impossible…"

"Why is it impossible?" Hiruzen asked, his curiosity peaking.

"Because once a seal is formed, it's static. It doesn't move. For a seal to be _interweaved_ , it has to be dynamic. The characters that form the seal has to be able to move. We haven't figured out how to do that. I don't think we can."

"Not with your chakra, Jiraiya-chan." Fukasaku replied as he peered at the inner seal. "That's not human chakra. That's not human chakra at all."

"Is it Natural Energy?" Jiraiya asked, as he felt the seal. "It doesn't feel like it."

"No. The closest thing to it is the chakra of a Bijū, or a Tailed Beast. But its not the same. It's something… More…" Fukasaku peered closer to it, examining it more thoroughly with his sage mode. "More potent I guess you could say?"

"How could something be more potent than that of a Tailed Beast?"

"Well, this clearly wasn't made by Minato-chan. At least not the inner seal, right Jiraiya-chan?" Fukasaku inquired, in which he received a nod in return. "So if this wasn't made by the hands of a human, than it had to of been made by hands of a God. The God of Death to be precise…"

"Then that mean that the language use to build this seal-"

"Is the language of the Gods." Fukasaku confirmed. "At least, that's my thought on this."

"Well shit… So much for trying to understand this seal, let alone replicate it." Jiraiya gave a frown.

"So we can't alter it?" Hiruzen asked as he glanced to his right, receiving a signal from his ANBU Commander. He gave a slight nod in response.

"Yes, and no. Gamatora here has the keys to the seals. All of them. I don't know how Minato got it for the inner seal. Probably given to him by the Shinigami before taking his soul. That's the only way I could think of."

"With the keys, I can loosen, tighten, and maybe repair the seals. Other than that, I doubt I could do anything with _that_ seal. I can't even read it, so that's out the window."

"You can loosen, tighten, and repair it without being able to read it?"

"Yes. The keys normally have an automatic function to it, so it should theoretically work. I don't want to really test it to find out unless I have to… Besides, I doubt the seal created by a God will break easily…"

"Understood Jiraiya. Thank you, Fukasaku, Shima, and Jiraiya. Now we have other matters to attend to. We have to report the situation to the Clan Heads and then to the rest of the village."

"Oh boy. That sounds like a load of fun…" Jiraiya grumbled.

"Let's go Jiraiya. I need you there with me." Hiruzen ordered as he proceeded out the room.

Just before Hiruzen reached the door, Jiraiya released the seal on the room and glanced at Shima and Fukasaku. "Sorry Ma, Pa. I'll meet up with you later. Go ahead and fill in Gamabunta for me. Tell him to save a barrel for me. I'll be needing it."

"Understood Jiraiya-chan." Shima croaked out a sorrow tone. "We'll be waiting… Ready Pa?"

"Ready."

With that, both elderly toads disappeared in a plume of smoke, returning back to Mount Myōbokuzan.

Enma glanced at Hiruzen before getting a nod from his summoner. He too disappeared in a plume of smoke.

Seeing them disappear, Jiraiya picked up Naruto and wrapped the swaddle around him before exiting the room.

* * *

「October 10th, Within Konohagakure, "Hokage Administrative Tower, Committee Room"」

Silenced enveloped the Committee Room. The battle with the Kyūbi was over, but the tension never released. More than a dozen chairs filled the rectangular table in the Committee Room. Most of the seats occupied by the major clans of the village, and others held by the those in positions of authority.

A list of the clans being represented in the Committee Room were the 4 noble clans of Konoha; the Aburame, Akimichi, Hyūga, and the Uchiha; followed by the other major clans of Konoha; the Inuzuka, Nara, Sarutobi, Yamanaka. Vacant seats remained for the Namikaze, Senju, and Uzumaki clans.

The doors swung open and Hiruzen walked into the room, with Jiraiya and the infant Naruto following behind. There was a clatter of steps as everyone in the room stood in response to the Sandaime entering the room.

Hiruzen raised his hand, motioning them to halt, signalling them to sit back down. He walked a steady pace to the head of the table. He pulled the seat out and sat down, making a few members of the gasp, curious as to why the Sandaime would sit there, and not the Yondaime, scared to think about what his simple action meant for the village.

"Sandaime." Hiashi greeted the elder shinobi before asking a question in a dignified tone. "Where is the Yondaime?"

Hiruzen pulled out his smoke pipe and lit it. He ignored the question for a moment as he took a deep inhale of the tobacco and exhaled it slowly, letting the nicotine calm his nerves for a moment before steadying his gaze on the room.

His eyes met with the elders on the Konoha Council before turning his gaze to Hiashi, the Head of the Hyūga clan. He retrieved a scroll from his vest and laid it on the desk. Every eye in the room focused on the scroll, as audible gulps were heard as a response.

"The Yondaime's body is sealed here."

An uproar happened immediately as soon the Sandaime finished his sentence. Several "How?!"s and "Why?!"s was heard before Jiraiya released an intimidating kil ling intent, silencing everyone in the room.

"Did the Kyūbi kill him?" Shikaku, the Head of the Nara clan, asked.

"Yes, and no." The Sandaime answered in a riddle, before explaining. "The Kyūbi did not kill him, but Minato did die _because_ of the Kyūbi. He forfeited his life to the Shinigami to seal away the Kyūbi into young Naruto here." Hiruzen gestured to the infant in Jiraiya's arm.

"How could an infant hold back the Kyūbi? I thought they need to be at least in their teens before a human body could hold back the Nine Tails." Koharu Utatane, the only female elder, questioned.

"Because he is an Uzumaki." The Sandaime simply replied, earning a scowl from Jiraiya, something no one in the room missed.

Jiraiya stayed silent, but several people noticed the blond locks on the infant, but none made any comments. Danzō Shimura, the One-Eyed Elder of the Council, narrowed his eye before making a comment. "So _that_ is the new _Jinch_ _ūriki_?"

Jiraiya tightened his grip on the infant, before showing a seething scowl towards Hiruzen, releasing a concentrated killing intent on the aging ninja.

"Jiraiya," Hiruzen raised his hand to halt his student from doing anything more rash. "Danzō is correct. This child is indeed the new jinchūriki."

"But _he_ has a _name_! _His_ name is-"

" _Uzumaki_ Naruto." Hiruzen finished for Jiraiya, not wanting any more information to slip than necessary. "Our _last_ Uzumaki."

"Still emotional as ever, _Little Jiraiya_." Danzō remarked snidely, demeaning the Sannin in front of everyone.

"At least my heart still _bleeds_ , you One-Eyed _Bastard_!"

A heavy sigh was released from Hiruzen as he felt a headache coming. In the background he swore he heard the Nara saying _'Troublesome'_ , and could never agree any more than right now with the Nara's trademark phrase. _'Troublesome indeed…'_

Hiruzen raised his hand, effectively stopping the quibble from going any further. "The fact stands is that my predecessor is now dead, and I am your Hokage once again."

Everyone at the table raised to their feet and stood at attention, recognizing the change in leadership. Even Danzō, who did stand with the others, albeit slowly.

Hiruzen raised his hand once again, signalling everyone to sit back down. "Does anyone have any questions?"

Koharu Utatane raised her arm briefly, before voicing a question. "Do we know how the Kyūbi was released?"

The Sandaime shook his head in a negative fashion before giving a verbal reply. "We do not know what exactly happened, as there are no living witnesses, but I do have an idea."

Everyone waited in silence as the one known as The Professor readied his follow up. "We can conclude that during the labor of Kushina Uzumaki that she was attacked and kidnapped."

"What were her guards doing?" Homura Mitokado, the last of the 3 Elders, inquired.

"The ANBU, along with my late wife, were all killed." Hiruzen solemnly replied.

Only a small handful of gasps were heard in the room, shocked at the news of the death of Biwako Sarutobi.

"After that, it is safe to say that the individual who kidnapped Kushina after her childbirth, was the one who released the Kyūbi and used it to attack the village."

"How could someone control the Kyūbi?"

"Simple." Danzō grunted. "Only someone with a Sharingan could control-"

"You _dare_ insuate that someone from _my_ clan did _this?!_ " Fugaku Uchiha nearly roared.

"I do _dare_ , or do I need to educate you on one _Madara Uchiha_." Danzō gruffed out. "There's a primal example of a traitor from your clan."

"And we cut _all_ ties with the traitor. We are loyal to the Leaf and I will not allow such accusations and slander be thrown about!"

"Fugaku. Please understand. I do not question you, nor your clan's loyalty. We do not have any proof that the Kyūbi was under influence of the Sharingan, but it is a possibility. Even you can not deny that, can you? Can you give me 100% proof that no one from you clan had a hand in this?"

Fugaku released a heavy sigh. "No, Hokage. As of this moment, I can not prove without a doubt that we weren't responsible, but I don't think any of my clan would even be able to control the Kyūbi. They would need the same _eyes_ as _Madara_."

"And does anyone in your clan have the same _eyes_ as _Madara_?" Danzō inquired.

"Danzō. You know it is not acceptable to pry into such clan matters." Hiruzen chided.

"It's ok Hokage. I know for a fact that no one has unlocked those _despicable eyes_." Fugaku retorted back at Danzō.

Hiruzen released a heavy sigh. He was growing weary of of this discussion, and wanted to end it. "If that is all, then I say the meeting is adjourned. I trust Fugaku that none of his clan members were to be blamed for this incident."

"Thank you Hokage." Fugaku bowed shortly towards the Hokage as thanks. A rather rare gesture from him.

"Now." Hiruzen raised from from his seat, with everyone else in the room shortly following suit. "I have to address the village and let them know the passing of the Yondaime."

* * *

「October 10th, Within Konohagakure, "Hokage Administrative Tower, Hokage's Office"」

The Sandaime sunk into his old chair in his old office. He really hoped he wouldn't have to sit behind this desk again. It seemed that Fate wasn't going to be that kind to him after all. He recalled the look on the faces of the villagers as he gave the announcement to the passing of their beloved Yondaime.

Many emotions displayed on their face, but most of all, there was sadness, and hatred. Sadness at his death, and hatred to the one who caused the death of the Yondaime. He was afraid of what that hatred would turn into. Perhaps he shouldn't of told them that the Kyūbi was sealed away in Naruto at the cost of Minato's life.

Only time would tell if it was a mistake, and he hoped it wasn't. He wanted the villagers to know that Naruto was the hero. That even now, while the infant slept, he held the beast at bay, protecting the village. He told the village this fact, but he thinks this simple fact fell on many deaf ears.

Speaking of the infant, he laid on the desk in front of him. Sleeping happily, blissful to the world around him. Just on the other side of him was a very upset Jiraiya. He knew Jiraiya wanted to get some things off his chest, so he felt it would be best to listen to his student now, rather than putting it off any later.

"I can see you are upset Jiraiya. Can you tell me why?" Hiruzen inquired, having expectations as to what the likely response would be.

"TELL YOU WHY?! YOU KNOW WHY, SENSEI!" Jiraiya roared, loud enough for his voice to carry halfway across the village if it wasn't for the seals currently in place. "HE'S NOT JUST AN UZUMAKI, HE MINATO'S KID! MY GODSON! MIGHT AS WELL BE MY GRANDSON!"

Hiruzen released another heavy sigh. Right on the money. He hated it when he was right about these things. "And that's why we can't let _anyone_ know that he's Minato's kid."

"Why? Cause he made a _few_ enemies? You don't think we can't protect him?"

"Not just a _few_ enemies, Jiraiya. You know the entirety of Iwagakure would want nothing more than to kill Minato and any of his offsprings. If they knew, there would be another war at our doorstep, Jiraiya. You know this."

Jiraiya scoffed and turned his head, but he couldn't argue against it. "So who's going to be taking care of him?"

"No clan will take him in." Jiraiya balked at his Sensei's answer. "No clan _can_. It would give them too much leverage. Until otherwise, he will live at the orphanage."

"Oh, like _that's_ a good idea. You saw the faces of the villagers. They're going to _murder_ him Sensei."

"I'll have ANBU on watch around him, to keep anything from that happening. Besides, I hope it doesn't come to that."

"Why can't you let me take him in?" Jiraiya pleaded.

"Do you even know how to take care of a baby, Jiraiya? Kushina would be rolling in her grave if she knew _you_ of all people were raising her son." Hiruzen let out a small laugh at the expense of his student. Oh how he wish life could've been so simple.

A sweat dropped from Jiraiya, knowing the Hokage was right. "I can learn though!"

"Learn as you carry a baby into a brothel? I don't think so…"

Jiraiya head sunk once again at the retort.

"More importantly, you have your spy network you need to maintain."

"You're right. I almost didn't have the spare time to see my own godson born…"

"I need you out there Jiraiya, not here baby-sitting. You need to gather more info on who attacked us, and why. Leave the raising to the orphanage and the protection to the ANBU. I give you my word that Naruto will be just fine by the time you come back. I promise."

Jiraiya let out a heavy sigh. He knew he wasn't going to win against his Sensei. Besides, he gave his word. He knew he could practically take that to the bank, so to say. "Fine. Fine. I'll trust you Sensei, but I'm not ready to trust this village."

"Sorry Jiraiya, but you can visit him when you stop by to give your reports."

"Thanks Sensei. Now if you don't mind, I have to meet up with the Toads. I'm certain they already started without me."

Hiruzen gave a soft smile of understanding. "Take care Jiraiya. I hope to have a report from you in a few months' time."

Jiraiya gave a quick salute before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

So something I want to touch one real quick. In the ANBU, there are 3 ranks, at least for my story. There is the traditional ANBU member. Then there is the ANBU Captain, one who can be in charge of a team (squad), a group (platoon), or a division (company). The ANBU Commander is in charge of all of the ANBU Captains, and through them, all of ANBU. Most ANBU Captains WON'T be on a team of 4. They can be, but normally it's just normal ANBU who makes up a team of 4. If it's larger than 4, then there will likely be an ANBU Captain present.

I'm not saying that there is only 12 ANBU Captains, as there can be junior ANBU Captains running around managing smaller groups and reporting everything to the more senior ANBU Captains who then report everything to the ANBU Commander.

I see it all the time in the Navy. A whole bunch of enlisted members working under a DIVO (Divisional Officer), who reports to a Department Head, who reports to the Executive Officer or the Commanding Officer. It's a little more complicated than that, but yeah. Pretty much how it goes. At least from an Enlisted POV. This is how the ANBU is going to be structured, roughly. Just wanted to put that out there.

Another thing is that the Hokage do have the last word on almost every decision. He is suppose to listen to everyone, and value their input, but his decision is his decision and should be followed regardless if you like it. Just like how it is in the military.

Thankfully the leaders tend to _not_ be total dicks, so they _tend_ to listen to input and vary their decisions accordingly. This isn't always the case though, so keep that in mind. Other people do have weight. Clans have weight. Civilians have weight, but the only person above the Hokage is the Fire Daimyō.

If you have read this far, and actually still reading this, then thank you. I'm sorry if this chapter seem a bit longer than the first chapter. Honestly, the first chapter was very short, and even this chapter is pretty short in my book.

I've done on average about 10k words a chapter. This one is still not close to it, let alone breaching it, I think. So if this was too long, I'm sorry, it's going to get longer. If this was too short, I'm sorry, it's going to get longer. Thank you for reading and drop a review on your thoughts.

Also, if you see any typos or grammatical errors (I know they are out there), let me know where! Just drop a small phrase and then what it should be in a review or message. I'll correct it as soon as I can!

* * *

 **Replies to Chapter 02 Reviews**

 **SaltyCandy:** I'm happy you like it a lot. Thanks for the motivation.

 **Link0011:** Sorry. Won't be raised by Jiraiya. I don't see him as a good parent material. I'm happy you are enjoying the story. I plan on updating it once a week, depending on whats going on in my life.

 **Langas:** I'm happy you thought it was a great chapter. I can't wait to get to that point either. Gonna take some time though.

 **Gravity The Wizard:** You're welcome.

 **UdayJhnjhunwala:** Sorry. I know should've caught that. I don't have a beta. If you can either write a review, quoting a small phrase of the grammatical error, or pm me on here, I'll fix it as soon as I can.

 **Noahendless:** I'm happy you are liking the darker take. I don't want things to be sunshine and rainbows all the time. I want struggle. Not saying there wasn't struggles in the original series, just... Not enough.

 **Shadow the Dark Arcanine:** Sasuke is not going to be female... Not sure about Haku. I think I'll just leave that up in the air. I don't plan on changing anyone's gender. Maybe 1 gender, or 2. Haku is officially listed as a male, so I dunno. As for the other. Well, it's debatable. You'll see when I get there.

 **a reader:** Guessing you are an anonymous person on this site. I'm glad you think its a great story.

 **isanemaelstorm:** I'm happy you like how I portrayed the summons, Jiraiya, Hiruzen, and Fugaku. I don't want them to be bland, 2D characters. I want them to have at least some depth. The good and the bad. And Jiraiya always cared, but I plan on him caring more in this, which can be good, and bad.

 **GrandAssassin:** I hope I didn't keep you waiting for too long on this one.

* * *

 **Edits**

 **12OCT2017:** Minor grammatical corrections. Nothing major.

 **28MAY2017:** Added in the replies to review for Chapter 02.

* * *

\- Chapter 02 -

\- COMPLETE -


	3. Chapter 03: Lost Innocence

**Death's Seal**

Fanficition by Spark of Fate

* * *

 **Important Information**

\- I do not own Naruto. -

\- I will do my best to keep as lore-friendly as possible -

\- I've kept up with the manga. I haven't read Boruto. -

\- This is a darker version of the Naruto series, with my own twists. -

\- R&R is welcomed. I am not perfect, so please catch the mistakes I don't catch -

\- Rating will be T for now. May change to M for various reasons later on -

\- Chapter posted 28MAY2017 -

\- Last updated 12OCT2017 -

* * *

 **My Lingo**

Here is a brief list of how I type in the story. Most of it will be common, but even so, everyone do tell stories in different ways.

Descriptions and the sort.

"Regular conversation."

"A _whispering or slight emphasis_ on a word in a conversation."

"A **word with strong emphasis or emotion** in a conversation."

 _'A normal thought.'_

 _'An_ _ **emphasis on a word**_ _in thought.'_

 _ **"Bijū or of the sort speaking."**_

 _ **'Bijū or of the sort thinking.'**_

*A sound effect or action of some sort.*

 ***Bijū's sound effect or action of some effect.***

 **Title**.

 **Section.**

Names of reviewers and titles of stories.

[Note from author. Rarely will be used.]

「Time Skip and Date」

* * *

 **Author's Announcement**

Hey everyone. Sorry again for the delay in submitting this. I wanted this up sooner, but juggling between visiting my family and friends and getting ready to fly to Japan… Yeah. Pretty hectic. It was my last 2 weeks in America, so I figure it was best spent seeing people.

Anyways, I'm now in Japan. Hopefully I'll have my own place soon. Since I'm now in Japan, and getting situated, I should be able to focus more on this story. I plan on doing weekly updates, if not more often. We'll see how life goes. I'll keep you informed of anything major, especially if something hinders me from doing uploads.

Enough of that. I'm sure you are tired of reading this, so let's get to what you are here for. Here's the next chapter. Oh… And this chapter is pretty… Dark. Just a heads up.

* * *

 **Previous Chapter**

Jiraiya let out a heavy sigh. He knew he wasn't going to win against his Sensei. Besides, he gave his word. He knew he could practically take that to the bank, so to say. "Fine. Fine. I'll trust you Sensei, but I'm not ready to trust this village."

"Sorry Jiraiya, but you can visit him when you stop by to give your reports."

"Thanks Sensei. Now if you don't mind, I have to meet up with the Toads. I'm certain they already started without me."

Hiruzen gave a soft smile of understanding. "Take care Jiraiya. I hope to have a report from you in a few months' time."

Jiraiya gave a quick salute before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

 **Chapter #03**

 **Lost Innocence**

「October 13th, 2300, Within Konohagakure, Nightlife District」

Several civilians stumbled across the streets. It has become a common occurrence the past few days as a large portion of the population have lost someone important to them from the attack by the Kyūbi. If people weren't working, they turned to their vices, which most of them was alcohol.

A group of 5 was stumbling their way to another bar, hoping to drown their sorrow. The one leading the group came to an abrupt halt as he heard a _psst_ sound coming to his right. He turned his head and peered down a dark alley. There he saw a man with a mask, that was yellow or orange in color. He wasn't certain in his drunken stupor.

"H-Hey man. What's with tha mask dude?" He called out.

"Sorry gentlemens. I wear this because my face had been horribly disfigured."

"Oh?" One of the guys in the group piped up. "Did that _damned_ Fox get you too?"

"Yeah, he did" The man replied.

"Sorry to hear that man. T-thanks for fighting against it for us." The man leading the pack sincerely replied. "Know what. Come join us!"

A few other members chorused in "Yeah… Come drink with us buddy! Your drinks will be on us!" A few of them cheered at one of their saviors.

"And you can take tha' mask of yours off. We won't judge ya, promise."

"Well…" The man sheepishly scratched the back of his head at the mens' request. "If you say so…" With a devilish smirk, he removed his mask slightly and a Sharingan flared in the night.

* * *

「October 13th, 2330, Within Konohagakure, Hospital」

A group of men stood at the front door of the hospital. For some reason, him nor his drinking buddies could control their bodies. Words whispered in the head, compelling them to move. Some of them grabbed hammers, while he found a kunai on the road on the way here.

He knew the hospital's front entrance would be locked right now. Only the ER entrance would be open at this time. They peered through the glass sliding door, uncontrollably walking towards it. To their surprise, the doors slide open. They stumbled their way past the front desk, the waiting room, and down a wing. They didn't know where they were going, nor could they stop, no matter how hard they tried.

They were panicking in their heads, yet their outward expression did not change. The group reached the stairwell, passing up the elevator for some reason. The slowly, silently made their way up the stairs. Once they reached the 3rd floor, they exited the stairwell and continued walking down the wing.

Suddenly, the group stopped outside a room. The leader silently slide the door open. To their surprise, there was a lone baby in the room. All these men were fathers. They remembered that babies are normally kept together a nursery. They were curious as to why this child was all by himself.

The baby had woken up and looked at them with curiosity. He had a distinct mop of blond hair, bright curious blue eyes, and a smile on his face as he reached for the men in his room, seeking attention that he had been denied so far in his very short life. An innocent giggle came from his mouth as the men neared him, desperate for attention. Desperate for love.

The dark whisper of the genjutsu entered their mind. ' _The Ky_ _ūbi is sealed within him. Think of the pain the Kyūbi has caused you.'_

Their eyes glazed over as memories of that fateful night was dragged from the depths of the conscious, and forcibly replayed with perfect clarity in their minds, despite how intoxicated they were. Seeing their homes demolished. Their wives and children dead. Their friends torn to shreds and crushed under rubble. Their lives in ruin.

' _Kill him, and you kill the Kyūbi. Exact your revenge for your village. For your dead Hokage. For your_ _ **family**_ _.'_ At their core, something in them changed. The genjutsu was released from the group, it's job done. The ceased to be human once they decided to raise their arms, brandishing their tools against the infant, their eyes filled with murderous intent.

It was a golden opportunity for them to seek vengeance on the demon.

They wanted to cause pain to the demon before they killed it. Make it suffer for what it had done to their village. To their family. They swiftly brought down their tools, breaking bones and piercing flesh. They repeated the action multiple times as the baby wailed in pain. Finally the leader was fed up with the crying.

How dare the demon take the form of a baby and make such a human sound. He aimed for the throat and plunged the kunai down to silence it. Unexpectedly, he met heavy resistance as some weird red substance surrounded the baby. Demonic chakra shaped around the baby, protecting it.

A demonic presence filled the room, and then expanded to the whole of the village, disturbing everyone from their slumber. The civilians knew they were going to die if they didn't kill the demon before them They were going to die just like their loved ones. They brought down their tools with as much force they could muster

Before any of the weapons could land, red chakra arms flew out and captured everyone in the room. Almost simultaneously, the civilians were being crushed and torn apart from the demonic arms. Blood curdling screams was heard before all went silent. In its wake was the lone sound of a baby crying.

Before passing out and darkness taking hold of the infant, he heard 2 sounds. He heard an inhuman grown, and someone crying.

* * *

「October 14th, 0015, Within a cave located on the outskirts of the Land of Fire」

The Masked Man was currently throwing a tantrum in his fury. Frustrated in the failed plan. Rage coursed through veins as he punched a wall, leaving a crater as a mark. ' _Those stupid civilians couldn't even kill a single child! Pathetic pawns!'_ He thought back to his plan to see where he went wrong.

The Masked Man gathered several civilians who were inebriated and manipulated them through words and genjutsu to attack the infant jinchūriki who was sleeping peacefully in the hospital. The sooner that infant died, the sooner the Kyūbi would be revived, and the sooner he would be able to capture that damned beast again.

The Masked Man made quick work of the ANBU team guarding the hospital, trapping them in one of his most powerful genjutsus, and unlocked the entrance door. He disabled the security seals, hid his presence, and watched from the shadows. Why get his hands dirty killing an infant when he can have civilians do it for him.

He watched from the window as the events unfolded. The Masked Man heard the innocent giggle of the infant and watched with a steady gaze as the civilians eyes gleamed with a savage, murderous light at the sight of the innocent and pure infant containing the demon beast who caused all their misery. They brought down their blunted and sharpened weapons on the child, bludgeoning and stabbing the innocent infant.

Suddenly an ominous presence filled the entire village. The room filled with a dreaded red light. In the next instant, there were screams, people were waking up, and ninjas were dashing to the hospital.

Despite their failure, he was glad he had the civilians do it before attempting it himself, else it might've been him who was smeared across the walls in that hospital.

* * *

「October 14th, 0015, Within Konohagakure, Hospital」

The Hokage, along with this personal ANBU team stormed through the hospital and were the second ones on scene. The first being the ANBU who were guarding the hospital, and more importantly, Naruto. He was shocked at the sight before him.

Outside of the room, he saw all 4 with their tantos raised, in attack position, but none of them were moving, as if they were scoping out the room before charging in. The Hokage rushed to their sides and was taken back at the sight.

Blood, lots of blood, coating almost every surface. Fragments of bones, both small and large, scattered through the small room. Organs strewn across the place. Several mangled corpses laying on the floor. A sight which caused some of his ANBU to almost contaminate the scene with their bile.

He applied his intent to the atmosphere around them, letting his ANBU team know that this is definitely _not_ the time to be throwing up, and it would not be tolerated. In the middle of room was Naruto who was enveloped in a demonic chakra. The baby was still, and he feared the worst has happened, seeing the devastating wounds on the baby. ' _How could anyone do something like this…'_

Remarkably, the wounds were healing at an accelerated rate. Still, he stood outside the room, along with his ANBU, unwilling to enter it just yet. He used his chakra to sense for any traps that may be waiting to be sprung. Upon finding none, he held his hand up, instructing his ANBU not to follow.

He gingerly made his way to Naruto's side with the deftest movements belying his age, taking the utmost care not to disturb the scene in any way. He gently lowered his hand on Naruto, retracting it quickly as it was burnt on touch from the miasmic properties of the demonic chakra surround him.

The Hokage peered closer, watching the protrusions of bones sink back into the body and the cuts heal neatly. Even he was disturbed watching such an unnatural thing happen before him. Once the wounds was fully healed, the chakra shroud disappeared.

He took this moment to carefully lift the infant from the crib and held it into his arms, keeping him as still as possible as he jumped out of the room and outside the crime scene. His eyes locked on the 4 that were guarding the hospital. "How did this happen." The Hokage demanded an answer.

All 4 of them kneeled and lowered their heads in shame. The leader was the only one to speak. "Hokage, we were ambushed and was trapped in a genjutsu. By the time we broke free, everything had already happened."

He waited another few seconds before several other Jōnins arrived. He gave hand signs to his personal team, silently instructing them to seal off the area, preventing all others from entering and disturbing the scene. He turned to a few of the Jōnins and gave them a order. "Fetch me the Head of T&I. Now please." The Hokage politely commanded as he held Naruto in one arm, cradling him close to him.

Several Jōnins took off at his command and he turned back to the room, verifying the gruesome sight safely sealed. He gave a second order to the remaining Jōnins. "Gather every ninja to the Administrative Tower. I expect all of them are already awake. Thank you."

The remaining Jōnins took off as soon as he finished his orders. A moment later, the Head of T&I appeared before the Hokage. "You summoned me, Hokage?"

"Yes. There was what appeared to have been an attack. Get everyone you have, even the new recruits, and investigate it. I expect a full report by tomorrow." Receiving an affirmative node, the Hokage turned to the 4 ANBU who was guarding the hospital and gave them an order. "You will follow the normal protocol and comply fully with the Head of T&I. Give them all information possible for their reports."

The ANBU bowed their head further. It wasn't going to be an easy night for them.

He motioned for his ANBU to follow him as he started walking a slow pace to the Tower.

* * *

「October 14th, 0030 Within Konohagakure, Hokage Administrative Tower」

As Hiruzen walked up to the Tower, he already saw a large number of ninjas waiting in ranks outside the tower, with the Jōnins up front, Chūnin in the middle, and Genin taking up the rear. Every ninja kneeled upon the arrival of the Hokage as he took his place in front of the group. "At ease." The Hokage ordered, resulting in all the ninjas standing back up in their ranks.

"Tonight, we had a member of our village attacked." The Hokage gestured to infant in his arm. "I'm certain most, if not all of you know who this is."

A silence took over as almost every ninja nodded, some of them not sure to how to feel about the one the Hokage was carrying. Others showing animosity towards the innocent baby.

With no warning, the Hokage released his full killing intent, pressuring all the ninjas to their knees as his orders were clear for all to hear as he paced back and forth. "From hence forth, the fact the Kyūbi is sealed within this child will be an S-Ranked secret. The fact that he is a jinchūriki is to be kept from everyone else. Revealing this S-Ranked secret to _anyone_ is punishable by death. Do I make myself clear?"

A chorus of "Hai Hokage!" ranged out in response. Satisfied with the response, he drew back in his killing intent, allowing his shinobi forces to stand again.

"Several people have already died today because of their attempted murder of this child." Several audible gulps here heard as everyone understood that it wasn't a threat, but a promise.

The Hokage waived his free arm out. "Dismissed."

Every ninja took off at their dismissal, leaving the Hokage and his ANBUs alone. ' _Now I have to address the civilian adults about this at a more reasonable time.'_

* * *

「October 15th, Within Konohagakure, Hokage Administrative Tower, Hokage's Office」

Hiruzen was sitting at his desk, the signature hat of the Hokage donned on his head, his pipe sticking from his mouth. His finger were tracing words in the Investigation Report that was open in front of him, with a rather thick medical report laid closed next to it.

His weary eyes gazed at the photos taken of the crime scene. He traced his fingers across the wrinkles on his forehead, massaging his temple, wondering where he messed up. Where did he go wrong? "Inoichi Yamanaka."

Inoichi, who was only 26 years old, stood straight, nervous before the Hokage. Recently inducted into the Torture and Interrogation Force, after many members died less than a week ago against the Kyūbi. "Hai, Hokage?"

Hiruzen let out a heavy sigh as he closed the report. "You were one of the individuals who interviewed the ANBUs who were guarding the hospital, correct?" Hiruzen already knew he was, yet he still asked the question.

Inoichi eyes shimmered with the recent memory of the team of ANBUs. "Hai, Hokage." He thought it was rather odd that he was given such a high-profile task, despite being there for less than a week and still on probation status. When he voiced his concerns, he was simply told that all he had to do was follow his orders. It left a slight sour taste in his mouth, but he knew he had to comply.

"As someone who looked into their minds, what do you think of the _incident_?" Having already read Inoichi's report, he had a fundamental understanding on Inoichi's conclusion, but it was good to have an verbal debriefing, as things are better said in person than on paper.

Inoichi knew exactly what _situation_ the Hokage was talking about. He did feel conflicted about the situation. "I believe the ANBUs to be innocent, Hokage."

The Hokage noticed his choice of words, but since he didn't hear any of the words being stressed, he figured it was just the way he spoke. "You would say they were not accomplices in the event?"

Inoichi shook his head in a negative fashion. "No Hokage."

"What led you to believe so?" The Hokage inquired.

"As I reviewed their memories, they were under a genjutsu when the incident occurred." Inoichi replied, trying not to remember the disaster zone that small hospital room had become.

"Could you determine the strength of the genjutsu?" The Hokage recalled the other reports of more seasoned interrogators who also filed their reports on the same incident, some of them also being from the same clan as the recently appointed Clan Head that stood in front of him.

"A very strong one, sir. One that I reckon a Hyūga or Uchiha with their would have great difficulty with. All 4 ANBU tried very hard to break the genjutsu, but none was able to break it in time."

The Hokage leaned forward, clasping his hands together, resting his chin on them as he narrowed his eyes at the same time. "So they weren't willing accomplices to the incident." The Hokage said, half asking, half stating.

Inoichi stayed silent for a moment after the Hokage changed his stance, his body language easily indicating how more serious he was being right now with his accusations. Inoichi reviewed his previous conclusion of the ANBUs before replying. Inoichi arrived to the same decision and decided to carefully phrased his words. "I _believe_ so."

The Hokage easily noticed the slight emphasis Inoichi used, and raised his eyebrow. "Are you not certain, Inoichi?"

Inoichi hesitated as he recalled how his supervisor _reacted_ to his conclusion of his investigation. His supervisor was steadfast in that these ANBUs couldn't possibly… Inoichi internally sighed at his supervisor's clear biased outlook. He decided to reveal his thoughts to the Man-In-Charge.

"No Hokage…" Inoichi steadied his gaze to his leader. "I am not certain."

Hiruzen steeled his gaze. "Explain."

"While I was reviewing their memories, there was a moment, just a moment, before the genjutsu took effect, that I can't access."

"What do you mean?"

"There was a seal on a moment in the memory."

None of the other reports he had received from the more seasoned members even hinted to this. "A seal on part of their memories that an Yamanaka can't penetrate?"

Inoichi eyes dropped in disappointment. He was the pride of his clan. A prodigy who excelled at their arts, but even he couldn't penetrate that barrier. "No, Hokage. Not without killing them outright.."

"All 4 of them?"

Inoichi nodded his head. "Yes, Hokage."

"So they are potentially _compromised_?"

Inoichi stayed silent for a moment, remembering back to his before replying. "I don't _believe_ so."

"Again, you are not _certain_?" The Hokage asked again, catching the emphasis.

Inoichi let out a small sigh. "No, Hokage. I _believe_ them to be, but I am not 100% certain. I have reviewed their psychological profiles and determined that they appear to be the same people as before. There was no discrepancies I could find, but I can not be certain because of the seal on that one moment. To state otherwise would be," Inoichi remembered back to how his other fellow clansmen thought of the incident, and was slightly disgusted in their choice. " _foolish_."

' _I will have to take precautions and assume they have been compromised… I will have to end the careers of 4 loyal ANBUs and assign them on non-critical missions for the rest of their careers.'_ The Hokage heavily sighed internally, as he already reached his decision on the ANBUs.

The Hokage gave a small nod towards Inoichi. "Thank you. Is there anything else you care to add?"

"There is one thing. Just before the sealed memory started, I was able to make out 1 thing."

"What was it?"

"A yellow mask with a pattern of a black flame."

* * *

「October 15th, Within Konohagakure, Hospital」

The Hokage entered the room in the hospital where Naruto was being kept. It's already been 5 days since he was born. An unusual amount of time for healthy baby to stay in the hospital, but he had no choice.

A flurry of tests were being ran and reran. Not only because he was a jinchūriki, but also because of the recent events. Despite the severity of what happened 2 nights ago, he healed perfectly. It would've been impossible if it wasn't for the Kyūbi who was sealed inside the baby.

Even though the Kyūbi healed Naruto completely, the Hokage was still worried, afraid the fox's chakra did more damage than good. Even so, everything kept coming back clean. No abnormalities to be found. Finally came the time that Naruto would have to leave the hospital and be taken to the villages orphanage.

He couldn't possibly keep the baby in the hospital, and the Hokage wouldn't let any clan take him in. It would give them too much leverage. He couldn't very take in the boy himself. One son was full time ANBU and the other was still in his teens. His wife, Biwako also died not even a week ago.

Sadness crept into his face as he remembered his wife. He hadn't even had time to mourn the loss of his wife. ' _The job of the Hokage is never done…'_ Hiruzen lamented as he started down at the Legacy of the 4th.

The 3rd steeled his heart. He knew where Naruto had to go. The orphanage is never a good place for kids to grow up, and might even be the worst place for him, yet it would be all Naruto would know.

Still. He thought back to his student, Jiraiya. How he too was an orphan, just like Naruto is now. How he became such a fine shinobi, despite his rough childhood. He looked down at the blond hair, blue eye infant. ' _I hope you turn into a splendid ninja, just like your parents, and your godfather.'_

With a sleeping Naruto in his arm, the Hokage made his way to the orphanage, a somber look etched into his face.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

I know Obito eyes a hole for his eye and should be able to capture them all in a genjutsu without removing his mask. In my mind, not all of them could see his eye because of the mask and their angle. I imagine that the mask tunnels his vision a bit, so to capture the whole group at once without turning his head, he would have to take off his mask.

Sure, he could likely turn his head and cast the genjutsu before they could even react, but in my mind, it was a little more dramatic this way. Just my reason if anyone was wondering why he _had_ to remove his mask.

Also, I'm a little disappointed in how short this chapter was. Nowhere near a long as I wanted it to be, but I delayed getting this chapter out long enough. I apologize for that.

Last thing to add. I'm not sure how I feel about how this chapter ended. I might come back and update it. We'll see.

* * *

 **Replies to Chapter 03 Reviews**

 **MrBlue987:** Thank you so much! Saw it and corrected it!

 **Night-Wolf Pack:** Sorry it took so long for the next chapter.

 **SlenderCreeperWolf:** I will update them! I haven't forgotten them, I promise. I'm just stuck on how I should write the current chapter on it. I'm not too good with fights...

 **Shadow the Dark Arcanine:** I'm excited someone is wondering who was crying. As for what the gender of the fox is... Well, I don't want to ruin that just yet. I have yet to read another fanfic who's doing it how I'm doing it. I doubt it's an original idea, but yeah. I don't want to spoil anything.

 **thor94:** I'm grateful you find my story interesting. As for what's happening with Obito... Well, we'll get there when we get there.

 **:** Happy you found it interesting. Sorry it took so long for an update to come out.

 **Langas:** Happy you found the chapter amazing.

 **Phantomsoul2015:** I'm happy you agree with me on the genjutsu thing.

 **SaltyCandy:** Thank you for liking the chapter. I try my best to keep the characters in character if I can help it. Characters will change though. I plan are going into more of a psychological examination of the characters, and how events could've changed them. I'm by no means a professional in any sort when it comes to examining the human mind though. I just feel like a lot of characters weren't really dynamic, except for after major dramatic points in the story.

 **Noahendless:** Sorry, but I won't be making Naruto a red-head. I understand where you are coming from, but just because blond hair is a recessive gene, while red hair is an incomplete-dominant gene, that does not mean 100% the children will be red-head, or a mix of the 2. Genetics are far more complicated than that. There is still a chance, however slight, the he could still be blond. He was blond in the series and I'll keep him as such. Same with his blue eyes.

* * *

 **Edits**

 **12OCT2017:** Corrections to grammatical errors and typos. Nothing really major. Added in replies to chapter reviews.

* * *

\- Chapter 03 -

\- COMPLETE -


End file.
